Cesare Beccaria

Cesare Beccaria (15 March 1738-28 November 1794) was an Italian Enlightenment thinker who was considered to be the most talented jurist of the Enlightenment era. He was best known for writing On Crimes and Punishment in 1764.

Biography
Cesare Beccaria was born in Milan, Austrian Empire on 15 March 1738, and he studied mathematics before Montesquieu's teachings led to him studying economics. In 1764, he wrote On Crimes and Punishment, one of the most famous works on law during the Enlightenment era; he argued against the death penalty and torture and for guns and the establishment of a fair court system. Beccaria promoted criminal justice, and his works helped in shaping the ideals of the "Founding Fathers" of the United States. Beccaria died in 1794 at the age of 56.